What’s up at the Fantastic Umbrella Factory in Charlestown

Sunday

Jul 21, 2013 at 12:01 AM

If you’re looking for a dashboard hula girl, you’ve come to the right place. That’s how Regina Grace Klinner describes the Fantastic Umbrella Factory, a sprawling 19th-century farm and international bazaar...

By Lisa Vernon Sparks

If you’re looking for a dashboard hula girl, you’ve come to the right place.

That’s how Regina Grace Klinner describes the Fantastic Umbrella Factory, a sprawling 19th-century farm and international bazaar that sells everything from penny candy to Peruvian instruments to dashboard hulas, as she calls them.

“This is where you come and get that. If that’s too girlie, then we have a zombie hula,” says Klinner, who runs The General Store, one of several shops at the Charlestown property owned by David Turano and his wife, Linda.

Turano, whose Rastafarian cap covers his flowing dreads, says the place is like a department store without all the departments. Instead there are little retail outposts featuring the work of local artisans.

The shops are nestled around walking trails, amid a garden and a greenhouse that sells perennials.

“There are animals all around to make it interesting,” said Turano, who bought the property in 2011. The farm has lots of fowl, including emus — named George, Penelope and Lily — ducks and Sebright hens. “Fancy chickens,” Turano said.

You can feed the goats that roam the site, but this place is more than a mini-petting zoo for your children.

It’s a hidden trove of knickknacks and hippie-feel-good items (think peace signs, Grateful Dead posters and rainbows) to buy, just because. The place also sells more incense, scented candles and oils than you could ever want, plus fun clothing and jewelry brought in from around the globe.

Some of the jewelry is embedded with rich turquoise stones from Tibet. Other pieces are just whimsical, such as the starfish jewelry, earrings, bracelets and necklaces sold at Frills gallery.

At the main store, Small Axe Productions, there is an exotic mix of items: fabrics, art and tapestries from nearly every corner of the earth. And “tons and tons of soap,” Turano said, as he nodded toward a shelf of soaps and raw African shea butter whose spicy scents waft through the shop.

If you are drawn to music, there is an assortment of musical instruments from foreign lands. For your consideration, there is a thunder drum, which makes a thunderous roar when shaken. There is a traditional Djembe drum, similar to a Conga drum, and other fun instruments, such as whistle pipes and noisemakers that come from Peru, Indonesia and everywhere in between.

The Fantastic Umbrella Factory opened in 1968, according to its website, fantasticumbrellacompany.com, and was housed in a small barn built in the 1800s as a temperance hall. Back then, owner Robert Bankel sold penny candy and unusual gifts. He soon expanded the operation, adding a café and inviting local craftsmen to sell their work.

Most people who stop in are coming from the local beaches, but on rainy days the place can be really packed, said one of the employees.

“The young kids come here for jewelry and clothing,” Turano said.

An especially popular shop is Axiom, which is part consignment, part retail, offering hats, bags and vintage eyeglass frames.

Lunch is served daily at the café; dishes include seared curry chicken and roasted eggplant. On Saturdays during the summer, the café serves dinner until 8 p.m., and on Sundays, there’s live acoustic music from 2 to 4 p.m.

Don’t forget to pick up some incense sticks at The General Store. “[Mosquitoes] don’t like the smell of sandalwood, so I burn that when it gets too buggy,” Klinner said.

And on your way out, stop off at the resident henna tattoo artist, Marie Ledwith.

Ledwith says most people wait until the end of their shopping trip to get a tattoo, so they don’t have to worry about smearing it while they shop.

The Fantastic Umbrella Factory is at 4820 Old Post Rd., Charlestown. Summer hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (401) 364-1060 or visit fantasticumbrellafactory.com.

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